For our annual “meet our moms” Mothers Day feature, I’ve invited members of the 4word team to share about some of the moms in their lives, and what makes them special. I always treasure this chance to hear about our team moms and all they do to impact the lives of those they love. I hope you enjoy it too! -Diane
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Ashley. I feel blessed to be able to call my mom one of my best friends. Growing up she was always my biggest cheerleader, my dream pusher, and the best shoulder to cry on. The older I get, the more I realize how blessed I am to have a mother like mine. She is a woman after God’s heart, compassionate towards everyone, and is able to bring out the best in others. I appreciate her for so many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is because she taught me to have faith in God and trust Him with the direction of my life.
She taught me not only to dream big, but to put those dreams in God’s hands and that He would take care of the rest. I have not been able to spend a Mother’s day with her in a few years now, but despite the distance I know she is always there for me and I know she knows how much I love and value her. I only pray that when I am blessed with the opportunity to be a mother myself, that I can be the kind of mother she is for me and my brothers.
Cindi. My mom was raised in a Jewish home on Long Island, New York. From a young age, my mom learned the value of hard work. As one of the oldest of 5 children, she contributed to the family by means of cooking, cleaning, and caring for her siblings. She carried this work ethic with her when she went off to college, and now in her career as a CPA.
My mom has taught me to not be afraid of trying new things. Growing up, she put her family first by taking a flexible job at a small family-run firm. To help compensate financially, she started her own business from our home. Tax season takes on a new meaning to a CPA’s child- aka crockpot dinners(soup) every night, constant strangers “clients” in your home and absolutely zero family outings, at least until April 15.
Eventually my mom took a more demanding position and closed her home business. She has been a true example to me of how to adapt your career to the changing needs of your family over time. She has always supported me in my chosen endeavors, whether that was trying out for majorette, or going to college halfway across the country.
My mom’s gift is hospitality. Her social events are known for the food- quality and quantity! She highly enjoys cooking and baking, and is one of the best cooks I know. She is creative, and enjoys sewing, crocheting, scrapbooking and other arts and crafts. I am blessed to be able to call her my mom.
Richelle. Okay, Lorene is my Grandma, not my mom, so I guess this is cheating a bit. But I wrote about my mom last year, and I figure that Mothers Day is for celebrating all the mothers in your life, not just the ones you call “mom.” When I was young, I knew Grandma Lorene simply as fun, endlessly patient, and as the one person in my life who would reliably feed me Lucky Charms. As I grew older I also appreciated her faith, her sense of adventure, and her incredible grace and grit. When, in 1950, she and my Grandpa decided to try their hand at farming, she uprooted her life, moving three small kids hundreds of miles north to a small farm outside of Bend, Oregon. When their house tragically burnt down, she moved her family into the only other building they had, a chicken coop, where she kept them safe, fed, and clean for months until the seasons changed and they could arrange to move.When my dad took up scuba-diving in college, my Grandma got certified too. When Grandpa started building and flying airplanes, Grandma was his devoted co-pilot, even after more than one crash landing. She was truly unflappable!
Grandma Lorene passed away earlier this year. She is deeply missed, but she leaves behind a beautiful legacy. I’m a mom to two little girls, and sometimes it feels like we’re surrounded by a culture of negative role models. But I don’t have to look far to see the kind of woman I hope my girls grow up to be.
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Tell us about the special moms in your life! How have they impacted you?
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Diane Paddison has held several executive positions for corporations, including Chief Operating Officer for two Fortune 500 companies, Trammell Crow (now CB Richard Ellis) and ProLogis. She is currently the Chief Strategy Officer at the commercial real estate firm Cassidy Turley, and the founder of 4WordWomen, a national nonprofit designed to connect, lead and support young professional Christian women to fulfill their God-given potential.
Click here to learn more about Diane Paddison
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